


come fly with me

by bevioletskies



Series: fic prompts & drabbles [12]
Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Developing Friendships, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Mission Fic, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-02 07:24:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16300643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bevioletskies/pseuds/bevioletskies
Summary: “Gamora has been teaching me how to fight, but I am still not really a fighter. I am most useful in missions where we have to mentally manipulate people.”“Interesting,” Hope hummed, quirking an eyebrow. “So, say I were having trouble trying to convince someone of something...like certain members of the government who arestillafter me and Scott because we haven’t signed the Sokovia Accords…”“I might be able to change their minds,” Mantis nodded. She paused. “Wait, are you asking me or telling me?”(Anonymous fic prompt: Mantis and Wasp team-up)





	come fly with me

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title is from the song [Come Fly With Me](https://open.spotify.com/track/4hHbeIIKO5Y5uLyIEbY9Gn?si=hjf1mYh1QYinRAAUPJ-Tqg) by Frank Sinatra. Takes place post-Avengers 4 in a magical universe where everyone is alive and well except for Thanos, who is super dead. Cameo appearances by Scott, Hank, and Janet, with a few mentions of the Avengers and the Guardians here and there.

Despite spending her entire life wanting to be a hero just like her parents, Hope was determined to stay as far away from the Avengers as she possibly could. Most of it was because of her admittedly shallow dislike of Tony Stark, purely for the way his father had treated hers; another factor was Scott skipping out of their partnership - and _relationship_ \- to go running around Germany with Captain America and without _her_. Then the entire universe was in danger, and Hope didn’t really have the luxury of choosing who to fight with. And well, she also sort of died, but that was beside the point.

Now that the universe was back to some semblance of normal, Hope’s priorities were as follows - continue strengthening her newfound good relationship with her dad, spend quality time with her mom and catch her up on everything she’d missed, restore the good name of Pym Technologies, and enjoy her budding relationship with Scott. She had no interest in mingling with any other so-called heroes, especially not with the government _still_ nipping at their heels, wanting them to cut a new deal.

Then, one evening, the Guardians quite literally came crashing down to Earth.

“The Benatar never did have a great braking system,” Peter Quill had reportedly said to the swarm of SHIELD agents that came for them.

Thankfully, they landed in the vicinity of Avengers Headquarters as (mostly) planned. They were invited back to “Terra”, as they called it, for Tony and Pepper’s wedding, an event that Hope and Scott were also invited to and were attending mostly out of politeness (though Scott was genuinely excited to hang out with the Avengers off-duty, the fanboy that he was). Their ship caused minimal damage - a scuff across the lawn that made Tony bemoan the days that he only had to worry about Thor’s unorthodox method of transportation - but it was enough of a signal that it was time to summon all the heroes to upstate New York. And by “summoned”, it meant a Quinjet touching down outside of Scott’s place (and sort of Hope’s, too, now that they were giving domestic cohabitation a try).

“This is gonna be awesome,” Scott said brightly, carrying both his and Hope’s overnight bags out the door despite her insisting she could take care of her own. “You sure your parents don’t wanna come with us?”

“And have Dad come face-to-face with another Stark? I think I’ll pass,” Hope remarked wryly.

When they arrived at the Avengers complex, it reminded Hope somewhat of the old Pym Tech labs - bright white walls, long stretches of glass and steel, with agents, engineers, and scientists scurrying around with somewhere more important to be. She and Scott were settled in a guest room, then ushered to an expansive outdoor patio where they were suddenly faced with just about everyone who they’d fought alongside in the battle against Thanos.

After some awkward “hello”s and “how are you”s, the two of them lingered on the outside of the circle of people who clearly knew each other pretty well, laughing and swapping stories as they dug into the buffet spread of artisanal meats and cheeses, fruit, and tea sandwiches. “Hello!” Mantis suddenly popped up out of nowhere, carrying a plate laden with food, a sunny smile on her face. “Are you not eating?”

“I will in a bit,” Hope said, smiling in return. It was hard not to when Mantis was so infectiously cheerful. “How are you? I heard you had a rough landing coming back here.”

“I do not trust Rocket and Peter when they try to fly the ship at the same time,” Mantis whispered conspiratorially. “They fight _so_ much. You are so lucky to be working in a partnership instead of a group. Then you do not have to listen to so many people talking and yelling at the same time.”

“Oh, I feel like Scott talks enough for three people,” Hope replied, knowing full well he was standing behind her.

“Hey,” he protested in mock offense. “I’m down to at least...two.”

“Can you grab me a plate?” Hope requested. Scott shook his head half-amusedly but went to do it regardless. “But you guys work in pairs sometimes, right?”

“Sometimes,” Mantis agreed. “Gamora has been teaching me how to fight, but I am still not really a fighter. I am most useful in missions where we have to mentally manipulate people.”

“Interesting,” Hope hummed, quirking an eyebrow. “So, say I were having trouble trying to convince someone of something...like certain members of the government who are _still_ after me and Scott because we haven’t signed the Sokovia Accords…”

“I might be able to change their minds,” Mantis nodded. She paused. “Wait, are you asking me or telling me?”

“Well, it’s not the most...legal thing I’ve ever done, but honestly? I’ve been acting outside of the ‘law’ for a while now, mostly because I don’t agree with it,” Hope admitted. “I have a sit-down meeting with some Accord representatives in a few days. I’m supposed to turn in my suit and sign some papers so they can put me on probation before they ‘let me’ be a reserve Avenger.”

“I am staying on Terra for another week or so,” Mantis offered. “Do not tell anyone, but the only reason we are staying this long is so that Peter can take us to his hometown. He wants to propose to Gamora at his mother’s grave.”

“Who’s proposing?” Scott returned with two overloaded plates of food and the corner of a puff pastry hanging out of his mouth. Hope and Mantis simultaneously shushed him. “Oh, sorry. What’re we talkin’ about?”

“Hope was telling me about your troubles with the Sokovia Accords, and I think I can help,” Mantis explained.

“Really? That would be amazing,” Scott exclaimed, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “They’ve been comin’ after us for the research, the equipment, the suits...they even started keeping watch outside of my house, even when my daughter’s home. It’s not cool.”

“I don’t want things to get _too_ messy, though,” Hope added, patting Scott’s arm sympathetically. Nothing had terrified him quite as much as the time Cassie had shrieked from her bedroom at 3 AM when she noticed a strange man on the sidewalk, seemingly looking right at her through the window. “If this was just about knocking some heads around until I get answers, I could do it in a heartbeat. But for this...I want them to feel like they came to the right conclusion on their own, if you get what I mean.”

Mantis grinned. “Of course. So, what’s the plan?”

* * *

The wedding went about as smoothly as expected. That is to say, a villain of the week popped up during the rehearsal dinner, making Pepper even more anxious than she already was, but once the bad guys were disposed of, courtesy of Peter Parker’s quick feet and even quicker mind, the weekend practically flew by. Hope even enjoyed herself despite her initial reservations towards Stark. The company was good, the entertainment was engaging, and Scott said something rather interesting while they were slow-dancing during the reception.

“I wonder what my second wedding will be like,” he pondered aloud.

Hope looked at him curiously. “Is that so?” He only grinned at her softly in his very Scott-like way, and she could only return it with a smile of her own, both flustered and pleased at the same time.

Then, Wednesday rolled around and Hope was back in a pantsuit and perfectly coiffed hair, feeling a little uneasy with the remnants of her old self. She knew she had changed quite a bit over the past few years, letting herself be happy and relaxed and open again after spending so long wallowing in grief and misplaced anger. Being reminded of her tightly-wound corporate persona made her all the more grateful for how much more comfortable she was with herself now.

“Thank you all for meeting me here,” Hope said diligently, settling down into her chair. The representatives that were sat before her glanced around the office, looking dubiously at their surroundings.

“I thought Pym Tech was defunct,” one of them commented. Hope’s smile tightened.

“My dad decided it was time to resurrect his life’s work,” she said cooly. “And I think it would be appropriate to reinstate him as CEO, don’t you?”

“From what I remember - and correct me if I’m wrong, it’s been a while - _you_ were the deciding vote, _Chairwoman_ ,” another said mockingly.

The third one cleared her throat sharply, glaring at her companions in warning. “Let’s not get off-topic here. Miss Van Dyne, your suit?”

“My assistant is bringing it in,” Hope said, folding her arms neatly on the surface of her desk. “And if you don’t mind me asking while we wait for her to get here, is there a reason you asked to meet without my partner?”

They exchanged uncomfortable looks, almost like they were dreading answering the question. “Mister Lang has...a history,” one of them said carefully. “At this point, I don’t know if we can offer him the same deal as we’re offering you.”

“Scott and I are a team. You don’t get to pick and choose,” Hope protested.

“Actually, that’s exactly what it means, Miss Van Dyne,” the woman replied. “Once we’ve cleared both you and your parents - ”

“My _parents_? My mom wasn’t even here when the Accords were created. _And_ she worked for SHIELD!”

“And we all saw SHIELD for what it really was, so who’s to say she was on the right side?” the second man said dryly, and it took all of Hope’s willpower not to knock him clean across the room.

“ _Don’t_ talk about my mom like that,” Hope said through gritted teeth. “My parents are not to be touched, and Scott and I are a package deal. I won’t settle for anything less.”

“You seem to think you have the upper hand here, Miss Van Dyne, and I can assure you that you don’t,” the first agent said, narrowing his eyes at her. “You violated the Accords multiple times - unauthorized use of a powered suit, interference with - ”

The door to Hope’s office suddenly swung open, and her assistant came striding in with an armored briefcase in hand, smiling beatifically. “Good afternoon, Miss Van Dyne, I am sorry it took so long.”

Hope let out a slow breath to calm herself down before she could really lose her temper. “That’s alright, bring it over here.” It was then that the agents looked at her assistant and did a double take in near-perfect synchronicity. “Is something wrong, agents?”

“That’s - ”

“Is there a problem?” Hope smirked. Mantis blinked.

“Alright, we’ll entertain you for a moment,” the woman sighed. “Are you trying to tell us that an _alien_ from a...peacekeeping team of her own is now your _assistant_?”

“She’s staying on Earth for a little while and wanted to learn the culture, so I offered to let her shadow me,” Hope said, unlocking the briefcase and turning it towards them with the lid open. “Is this what you were looking for?”

“Yes, but - ”

“Wait, is that the right one?” The second man leaned in a little closer, trying to place whether it was really the suit they were looking for. “If you’re trying to con us, we have no choice but to search your office until we find your _actual_ suit.”

“Are you sure? Look again,” Mantis said soothingly. She drummed her fingers in a precise pattern on the surface of Hope’s desk as she leaned against it. The three of them blinked slowly, almost like they were in a trance. “There is no need to be agitated. Hope is only worried about the well-being of her loved ones, that is all. Do you not worry about your loved ones like she does?”

“...yes.” The first agent settled back in his seat, looking remorseful. “I apologize for my colleague’s comment about your mother. I’m sure the work she did at SHIELD was very important to the world _and_ your family.”

Hope glanced over at Mantis, barely daring to take a breath in case it gave away the ruse. “Thank you. It was.” She bowed her head. “I don’t mean to be hostile, I know you’re just doing your jobs, but I want to look out for the people I care about. And I appreciate the chance to be reserve Avengers, but Scott and I work best as partners, not members of a team.”

The woman pursed her lips. “When we spoke with Mister Stark and Captain Rogers, they vouched for you both. Are you going against their endorsement, then?”

“No, we just don’t - ”

“I can tell this isn’t your suit, by the way. I’ve seen enough footage and photographs to know every last detail of the real thing,” the woman concluded, getting to her feet with a disappointed sigh. “You know what? I can tell we aren’t getting everything we need today. Bring us the real one, and we can discuss your new terms another time. I have a feeling they’ve changed...again.” 

* * *

“I am sorry it did not work,” Mantis offered sadly about an hour later. She and Hope were now sitting in the lab, having lunch, watching Hank and Scott squabble over something mundane in the distance while Janet tried to mediate as best she could while also getting increasingly exasperated. “The woman’s mind was very strong. I could not appeal to her nature the way that I did with the others.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hope reassured her. “It was a stretch for me to think I could convince them in the first place.”

“You said something about ‘knocking heads’, right?” Mantis asked.

“I’m not going to beat anyone up, Mantis,” Hope chuckled, shaking her head. “There’s a time and place for it, and this isn’t one of those times. It’s not worth it. I’ve already dug a deep enough hole as it is.”

“But you want to get your suit back, don’t you?” Mantis persisted. “And you know where they took it. Maybe you can go get it, while I talk to the agents again and see if I can at least convince them to talk to you and Scott together.”

“That’s...actually not a bad idea.” Hope glanced across the room at her parents. “Should he come with us?”

“I’m telling you, Hank, I didn’t do it!”

“I swear to god, Scott, I _saw_ you - ”

“Go easy on the boy, Henry, I’m sure he didn’t mean to.”

“That ‘boy’ is sleeping with our daughter, I wouldn’t exactly call him a _boy_ \- ”

“Never mind,” Hope sighed, rubbing at her temples; she could feel the beginnings of a headache starting to form. “But before we go, let me jump in there before Dad castrates him.”

An hour later, Hope and Mantis arrived at the storage facility, both unusually nervous given their usual demeanors. They stopped several feet from the gates, with Hope shrinking down and zipping through in search of an external vent, while Mantis tentatively approached the security booth.

“Hello, I am here on behalf of Pym Technologies and I have a meeting with some Accord representatives,” Mantis recited neatly, albeit loudly, causing the speaker to screech with feedback. The guard winced, waving her through after a brief glance at the ID badge Hope had given her.

“Not so loud.” Hope’s voice came through the earpiece, nearly invisible beneath Mantis’s hair.

“Sorry,” Mantis said sheepishly. “Peter took us to a drive-thru in Missouri where he had to shout to be heard. We ended up with three more orders of curly fries than we were supposed to. Are you inside yet?”

“Yes. Trying to follow the air conditioning system to figure out where their warehouse storage is located.”

“Mantis!” The moment she stepped into the lobby of the building, she was greeted by the three agents, who looked just as surprised to see her as she was startled by them. “You know, I really thought someone was pulling our leg when we got the call.”

“I would not play such a joke on you,” Mantis said, smiling politely. “I just wanted to talk.”

“My office, then,” the woman replied. They went into an elevator and through a series of hallways until they finally settled in a room, all while Mantis could hear Hope quietly muttering to herself through the line in fervent concentration. “So what’s this all about? Why are you _really_ working for Van Dyne?”

“What she said is true. I want to learn more about the culture here. You see, my leader is like a big brother to me, and he came from this planet. It means a lot to him, and I want to understand him better. Hope seemed like the best candidate for me to follow around,” Mantis explained.

“Why is that?” the first man asked curiously.

“She is not a super spy, she does not have magical powers. She is a normal person who is very brave and strong, all on her own,” Mantis said thoughtfully.

“You really think that?” Hope sounded half-distracted, half-touched.

“She’s also violated a _lot_ of laws,” the second man added.

“I do not know very much about these Accords. I have only heard about them from my friends.” Mantis glanced down at her hands, twisting her fingers in her lap. “I know that you think you have good intentions, but sometimes it hurts them more than it helps. I know that they have fought each other because they do not agree, and they have had to run and hide and help people from the shadows instead of in the light. I know that in some ways, they still have not fully forgiven each other for everything they have said and done. I also know that you have scared people who have had nothing to do with it, like Scott’s daughter.”

“We had no intention of - ”

“I do not understand Terrans very well, but I guess I do not understand much of anything,” she continued ruefully. “I grew up in isolation for most of my life, watching my master hurt children for not being what he wanted. He would only let them have one try before killing them where they stood. I think they deserved a second chance, don’t you?”

“Van Dyne and Lang have had plenty of chances if that’s what you’re trying to insinuate,” the woman said smoothly.

“But you have not let them explain themselves together,” Mantis pointed out. “I heard that you arrested Scott when he did not fully understand the consequences of the fight in Germany.”

“Is _that_ what he told you?” Hope muttered in her ear.

“And Hope and Doctor Pym didn’t even know he was gone until you started chasing them, too,” Mantis added.

“Dammit, I see the case but it’s got a motion trigger. I’m gonna have to switch them out at the exact right time.”

“Like Indiana Jones?” Mantis exclaimed, her eyes widening when she realized what she’d done.

The agents stared at her like she’d sprouted even more antennae than she already had. “...I’m sorry?”

“ _Mantis_ ,” Hope hissed.

“Peter showed me that movie once. I think there were chases in it, right?” She blinked innocently.

“...right.”

Hope shook her head, annoyed but still impressed that Mantis was well-versed enough to make the reference. The sight before her felt just about as foreboding as the golden idol. She could feel sweat beginning to form on her brow, feeling burdened by both the half-finished prototype suit she was wearing, and the case tucked underneath her arm, waiting to be traded for the real thing.

She swallowed thickly, flying closer to the spot where her suit was sitting, but not so close as to set off the alarm. There was a vague buzzing in her head of Mantis’s ramblings; she seemed to be on a tangent about her fascination with Terran pop culture and Scott and Hope’s predicament at the same time.

“You got this,” Hope muttered to herself, taking a deep breath. She braced herself, lifting both her arms up with her finger on the size trigger in her glove. In one fluid motion, she swept the real case under her left arm, shrinking it down until it was no bigger than a fingernail, grew the prototype case to its full size, and slotted it neatly in place. The motion trigger light flickered briefly, then continued on as if nothing happened. She exhaled. “I did it. Heading back outside now.”

“And _that_ is why they are very under-appreciated compared to the Avengers. Just because they have not saved an entire city from an alien invasion on their own - also, I do not like the way you say the word ‘alien’ - ”

“Oh, Mantis,” Hope sighed with a relieved chuckle.

Mantis exited the building ten minutes later with an unusual amount of pride in her step, meeting up with Hope back where they had started. “You got your suit back?”

Hope held it up triumphantly between her pointer finger and her thumb, so miniscule that Mantis had to squint to really see it. “How did it go in there?”

“They agreed to meet with _both_ of you next week,” Mantis said happily. “And they will stop surveilling Scott’s house.”

“That’s great! How did you manage to get them to agree?” Hope exclaimed.

“I told them I would not leave until they did.” Mantis chewed her lip. “And I may have accidentally used my sleep powers when that man got too close to me.” Hope groaned. “He scared me!”

“At least we got what we wanted,” Hope sighed. She reached out to squeeze Mantis’s arm. “Hey...thank you.”

“Of course,” Mantis grinned. “I do not like seeing my friends get hurt.”

“We are friends, aren’t we?” Hope smiled back. “And friends take other friends to dinner so she can learn more about Terran culture. That is, if you’re free.”

Mantis’s eyes widened. “I am! I think if I go back to my team now, all I will hear about is the engagement, and I have heard _plenty_.”

“Good.” Hope gestured towards the car waiting for them a little further down the road. “I hope you’ll like tacos.”

* * *

Hope winced as the front door creaked open slowly, almost painfully - she needed to talk to Scott about greasing the hinges, along with another half-dozen home improvement projects they could really use - and kicked off her shoes, tiptoeing up the stairs. She briefly disappeared into the bathroom to change, brush her teeth, and wash her face, holding her breath while she slipped under the duvet, trying not to disturb him.

“Whashappening?”

She sighed in defeat. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. Just go back to sleep.”

“No, hey, tell me...tell me how it went.” Scott yawned, rolling over to face her, blinking sleepily. She smiled, settling down comfortably into the pillows.

“Long story short, I got my suit back, _and_ we have a meeting with them. Together.”

“How?” he mumbled; he was already starting to drift off again.

“Mantis went to talk to them while I shrunk down in the prototype suit - I didn’t have the same problems that you did, by the way - and went through the vent. She started off talking about how she wanted to learn more about our culture and somehow tied the Accords back to her upbringing, and…” She was interrupted by a snort, courtesy of Scott’s tendency to snore loudly and unashamedly. Hope chuckled amusedly, leaning over to briefly kiss him on the cheek before properly snuggling in underneath the blanket, warm and content. “Never mind. I’m sure this will make for an interesting story another time.”

**Author's Note:**

> There is something strangely difficult about trying to figure out how and what Hope and Mantis would team up for, given their wildly different skillsets, but this was so much fun to write! It's also my first (published) attempt at Hope and Scott as both characters and as a relationship, I hope (ha) I did them justice since I've definitely got more of them down the line.
> 
> I am currently taking Scott/Hope prompts and no longer taking Peter/Gamora prompts, though I still have about five more prompts to go this year, along with my current Peter/Gamora AU and a Guardians-themed Christmas fic. You can read this fic on [tumblr](http://bevioletskies.tumblr.com/post/179094709054/could-you-maybe-write-a-fic-about-mantis-and-the) if you like! Thanks so much for reading, comments and kudos would be much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed :)


End file.
